News from Mathnasium of Fishers

Ever wondered how Mathnasium got started, or what makes us different than a private tutor? Here is a great interview with co-founder and Chief Instructional Officer, Larry Martinek.

Larry Martinek, “The Man Behind the Method,” is chief instructional officer of Mathnasium Learning Centers. Known for his smile, his stories and his trademark ponytail, Larry is beloved by Mathnasium students, instructors and franchisees around the world.

Larry devoted his life to enabling students to understand and love math. He taught mathematics in public and private schools, gang reduction programs, and gifted youth groups before co-founding Mathnasium in 2001. The Mathnasium Method™, developed by Larry and his late son, Nic, has revolutionized math education, improving the lives of students, their families, franchise owners, and the communities in which Mathnasium Learning Centers are located.

How and when did you come up with the Mathnasium Method?

The Mathnasium Method is an accumulation of best practices dating as far back 3,000 years, plus original thinking by my son, Nic, and me.

The earliest example was in 1984, the day before Nic’s fourth birthday. He had a candy bar on the kitchen table, and he cut it into two pieces. Now, as a kid that age will most often say, he said “half and half.” The only thing was, it was really about 60/40. The question is, as a math teacher, what do I say to this child who's only 3 years old? Well, I could have said, “Hey Nic, that's not half, because half means the division of a whole into two equal parts,” but that would have gone right over his head.

I said, “Hey Nic. That's not half, because half means…” — and for the first time in my life, I uttered four words that changed my life — “...two parts the same.” Yep. I knew I was onto something because Nic said, “Oh!" And he cut it perfectly in half.

I'd been teaching nine years at that point. I had my degree in math and my life teaching credential. I was a well-regarded teacher, but I realized that I had been teaching right out of the book. I was teaching the way that I was taught, which is everyone’s natural tendency. Paraphrasing one of Newton’s Laws of Motion, “Things will continue to be as they are unless acted on by an outside force.”

Nic was that new force for me at that moment. I realized that the difference between “two parts the same” and the “division of a whole means two equal parts” for a three-year-old, is the same difference that goes on in classrooms every day across the world. Teachers are saying things that don't get through to kids. The syntax is not particularly kid-friendly.

Of course, one of the things we do here at Mathnasium is change the way people think about math, and that includes our instructors and our franchisees. They come in with their own understanding of things, but it's primarily an accumulation of the way that they were taught. I want to be that outside force for our instructors, and I want them to be that outside force for kids.

Peter, our CEO, gave me the finest compliment I've ever received, when he said that I have the humility to have learned from a child. That's where Mathnasium started.

If you had to pick the essence of what separates us from other math education companies or private math tutors, what would it be?

On the curriculum side, our assessment process drills down to find out where each student’s knowledge stops. Then our material does not play a fool’s game and pretend that a lack of foundation in math can ignored. We build up the foundational understanding that was missing. This is how “We Make Math Make Sense.”

On the instructional side, we work with kids face-to-face, using customized learning plans and adapting on each child’s individual learning styles. We employ both direct teaching and Socratic questioning in the delivery of instruction. That’s also unique.

What physical clues or cues do you see in children that indicate they are struggling? That they are “getting it”?

Kids of any age who are struggling tend to count on their fingers. They are frequently confused and have a defeated attitude when they attempt math. They’re semi-responsive and look down a lot; they may pull back from the table. And of course, their grades slip.

Kids who are “getting it” say, “give me another one!” after successfully doing a problem. They have frequent epiphanies. They look up from the table, look you in the eyes, and lean forward. They don’t have an attitude problem in dealing with homework.

Many people have asked you why Mathnasium’s curriculum isn’t being taught in schools. What was the reception when you tried to introduce it into public schools?

Teachers are doing the best they can to help kids with the curriculum they have, against all odds in most cases. But Mathnasium’s curriculum is more robust than school curriculum. So individual teachers and school principals greeted our curriculum with great acceptance. We got no support from school districts and various foundations, though, because their attitude was, “We got this.”

Many math teachers I trained in my two decades before Mathnasium existed continue to use elements of the Method to this day.

What did it take, on your part, to go from one center to an organization with more than 900 centers?

Guts, determination, and complete confidence that the Method works. Oh yeah, and money.

What are one or two assumptions people still make about Mathnasium that are just wrong?

They assume we only do remediation with students, but we also have a tremendous ability to do enrichment. That can be really fun, because students who are motivated have access to the incredible beauty inherent in math.

They also assume we are too expensive. They probably aren’t doing the math! Mathnasium students come in for sessions 2-3 times each week, which makes the monthly cost reasonable — usually less than a private math tutor. And certainly, we’re more capable of identifying exact deficits and building a plan to combat them for the long term than most private math tutors.

Mathnasium is undergoing rapid international expansion. What challenges does this bring to the curriculum and the Mathnasium Method?

We have to make sure that we meet the school needs of students worldwide without sacrificing the basic principle that “math is bigger than school.” Some countries have a very narrow focus, and we need to communicate that math’s application is bigger than the relatively narrow focus taught in school.

Do you have a favorite math concept?

The Fourier series. In the early 1800s, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier described how waves work in the universe. Its charm is that it allows you to take a complicated wave and decompose it into simple sine waves. This has applications in acoustics, modern electronics, and myriad other areas. Without Fourier, there are no cell phones.

Who do you look up to and why?

Leibniz — a free thinker about math and metaphysics

Einstein — a free thinker about the forces of nature

Jimi Hendrix — a free thinker about musical form, and the fact that he is the most creative guitar player ever. It is arguable who the “best” player ever is, but there’s no serious conversation about the “most creative.”

Ramanujan — the peasant Indian mathematician who tapped into the universe of mathematical thinking deeper than anyone ever has

Santana — has great guitar tone

Leonardo da Vinci — the most creative person to ever live — so far

You’re a guitarist. What types of music do you most enjoy playing, and who are some of your favorite musicians or bands?

At the beginning of 1999, Nic had long hair and sometimes wore it in ponytail. One day my wife said, “You’d look good with a ponytail.” We decided to try a “reverse Samson.” It worked!

Why does your Mathnasium shirt have a different logo than the rest of the company, and why do some people call you “The O.M.”?

In the beginning, everyone wore the “Mathnasium” logo. A few years later “The Math Learning Center” wording was added, but David and I had a lot of shirts with only “Mathnasium.” We informally decided that since we were “original equipment” —founders — we would stick with what got us started.

The “OM” is a derivative of “OG” (Original Gangsta in rap-speak) and means “Original Mathlete.”

What might people be surprised to learn about you?

That I’ll be 70 next month, and that my wife and I have been married 48 years. My interests include astronomy, astrology, and metaphysics in general.

Also, I have a 4-year-old Wheaten Terrier named Buffy 2.0. Buffy, as in “vampire slayer,” and 2.0, because she is our second Buffy.

Our son attends mathnasium and is beginning to make positive strides. Math has always been a challenge, but we are encouraged with the progress he is starting to make.
Kerry and his staff are wonderful!

Mathnasium has done an amazing job at solidifying the foundation for all three of my children. All three are ahead of grade level, and ahead of District and State levels on standardized tests. If you want math to make sense to your student, I highly recommend Mathnasium.

Mathnasium has really helped my son to understand math. My son found high school math very challenging at the beginning of the school year. Since starting at Mathnasium in September, my son finally has the confidence to complete his homework and pass his tests. We are very grateful for all work Mathnasium has done to help him. I would highly recommend any parent who has a child struggling in math to try Mathnasium.

We have been thrilled with our Mathnasium experience so far. I tell everyone that it is like joining a gym, but for math! You don't have to have a set appointment and can go in as much as needed each week. The initial assessment is so helpful for finding where your child is and where they need help. I love that Mathnasium does not assign homework, but that the students do all of their work at the center. I also like that they can spot-check homework from school, as well as help with test preparation. My 8th grader's test scores and math self-confidence have sky-rocketed in just the first month that we have been going to Mathnasium! I couldn't be happier.

Mathnasium is a fantastic program for learning, practicing, and enhancing your math skills. My kids NWEA math scores steadily increased. Their confidence in math knowledge is evident after attending Mathnasium. I love that all the work they need to do for Mathnasium is done there (no homework). I highly recommend Mathnasium.

I love that Mathnasium teaches kids how to think, not how to memorize. As math becomes more complex as you progess through school, it is critical to understand WHY you are doing something, not just how. Well done Mathnasium!

My daughter struggled with math. She said she hated math, and it was affecting her attitude towards school. Helping her with homework was awful for her and me. Now, she loves coming to Mathnasium. She is proud of herself for her progress. My happy girl is back. Thank you Mathnasium!!!!

It was great pleasure to be connected to Mathnasium of Fishers. My daughter enjoyed going to Mathnasium, She was very excited to go to Mathansium every week. We could also see improvements on her Maths score in school.
Many thanks to Mathnasium!

I was very pleased with the math tutors and how the business operated. I found the cost of services very fair, and I liked how the students and tutors interacted. I would have continued my membership, but we are moving out of state at the end of the school year. I would recommend this place to any parents who want their children to have a constructive activity.

Although my granddaughter doesn't come as frequently as we had hoped, the guidance and practice she's receiving is being reflected in her math grades at school, but more importantly in her "math sense" in life. Thanks.

Although it's still quite early in our Mathnasium experience, my granddaughter is both enjoying and feels like she's learning and understanding the math concepts she's covering. My daughter reports that our granddaughter is happy to go and seems quite proud of her accomplishments. It's only been a couple of weeks, but I feel like we're off to a good start.

We are very new to the Mathnasium family but our daughter is absolutely enamored with learning! Learning?! LEARNING. Mathnasium has made math, once a daunting task, a fun agenda. I love seeing the results. Brittany and her crew of exceptionally patient, understanding mentors have made our daughter excited about LEARNING. Mathnasium has been great to my baby girl, great for our family.

My kids love attending Mathnasium and I love the tutors, the center works hard to create an individualized experience to meet each child where they are at. The center is appropriate for the child who needs extra help or a child that is able to get ahead.

3 factors have made this educational service valuable. Brittany's math expertise, love for math, and great personality. Flexibility to get tutoring when you most need it, welcome and friendly atmosphere.

I felt your program was great for filling in holes in my daughters education. I wish she could have gone longer. She changed schools and moved in January. Could someone please check our bill so it stopped in January? I'm not even sure if she ever in December?
Thanks,
[NAME REMOVED]
fishers IN

Both of my girls love going to Mathnasium. They actually beg me to take them each day.It is so nice not to struggle with them to go to Mathnasium. They love everyone that they have worked with there! Thanks for making Math fun!

The tutor was a great help to Morgan! She did a perfect job explaining the material in a simplified manner which made it easy for Morgan to understand. Morgan truly enjoyed her tutor sessions and is now carrying an A in her pre-Calculus class. Thank you!

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